Apparatus for processing substrate

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for processing a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes a processing apparatus and a controller. The processing apparatus includes a chamber. The controller includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The memory stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the processor to control a process of the processing apparatus. The process includes first forming a first film in a first region of the substrate in the chamber by chemical vapor deposition. The process further includes second forming a second film in a second region of the substrate in the chamber by atomic layer deposition. The first forming and the second forming are performed without moving the substrate out of the chamber.

FIELD

An exemplary embodiment disclosed herein relates to a method andapparatus for processing substrates.

BACKGROUND

Various deposition techniques are known. For example, chemical vapordeposition (CVD) utilizes the reaction or decomposition of gaseousspecies to form a solid film on a surface of a substrate. Atomic LayerDeposition (ALD), which can be viewed as one type of CVD, has a uniqueproperty of being intrinsically conformal.

While various techniques have been developed to increase the integrationand miniaturization of semiconductor devices, further demand for deviceintegration and miniaturization calls for an even more precise controlof patterning.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrateincludes a processing apparatus and a controller. The processingapparatus includes a chamber. The controller includes a memory and aprocessor coupled to the memory. The memory stores computer-executableinstructions for controlling the processor to control a process of theprocessing apparatus. The process includes first forming a first film ina first region of the substrate in the chamber by chemical vapordeposition. The process further includes second forming a second film ina second region of the substrate in the chamber by atomic layerdeposition. The first forming and the second forming are performedwithout moving the substrate out of the chamber.

According to one embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrateincludes a processing apparatus and a controller. The processingapparatus includes a chamber. The controller includes a memory and aprocessor coupled to the memory. The memory stores computer-executableinstructions for controlling the processor to control a process. Theprocess includes first forming a first film in a first region of thesubstrate in the chamber by chemical vapor deposition. The processfurther includes second forming a second film in a second region of thesubstrate in the chamber by atomic layer deposition. The process furtherincludes etching the substrate. The first forming, the second forming,and the etching are performed without moving the substrate out of thechamber.

According to one embodiment, a method of processing a substrate includesfirst forming, by chemical vapor deposition, a first film in a firstregion of the substrate in a chamber of a processing apparatus. Themethod further includes second forming, by atomic layer deposition, asecond film in a second region of the substrate in the chamber. Thefirst forming and the second forming are performed without moving thesubstrate out of the chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the present application and many of theattendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an exemplaryprocessing apparatus according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to oneembodiment;

FIGS. 3A to 3C are exemplary diagrams of a substrate processed accordingto one embodiment;

FIGS. 4A to 4C are exemplary diagrams of a substrate processed accordingto one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating a sequence of processes employedaccording to one embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An exemplary embodiment of a method and apparatus for processing asubstrate disclosed in the present application will be described belowin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrativeembodiment disclosed below is not intended to be limiting in any ways.

Exemplary Apparatus

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of aprocessing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment. The processingapparatus 10 is an example of the apparatus for processing a substrateaccording to one embodiment. The processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 canbe utilized to implement a method carried out according to oneembodiment. The processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is a so-calledinductively-coupled plasma (ICP) apparatus which includes a plasmasource for generating inductively-coupled plasma. However, the apparatusaccording to one embodiment may utilize plasma generated by other means.For example, the apparatus according to one embodiment may be anapparatus utilizing capacitively-coupled plasmas (CCP), electroncyclotron resonance plasmas (ECR), helicon wave plasmas (HWP), orsurface wave plasmas (SWP), for example.

The processing apparatus 10 includes a chamber 12. The chamber 12 ismade of a metal such as aluminum. The chamber 12 is, for example,substantially cylindrical in shape. Inside the chamber 12, a space 12 cis provided and in which a process takes place.

At the bottom side of the space 12 c, a stage 14 is arranged. The stage14 is configured to hold a workpiece W mounted thereon. The workpiece Wis, for example, a substrate to be processed by the method according toone embodiment.

The stage 14 can be supported by a support mechanism 13. The supportmechanism 13 extends from the bottom of the chamber 12 upward in thespace 12 c. The support mechanism 13 may be substantially cylindrical inshape. The support mechanism 13 may be made of insulating material suchas quartz.

The stage 14 includes an electrostatic chuck 16 and a lower electrode18. The lower electrode 18 includes a first plate 18 a and a secondplate 18 b. The first plate 18 a and the second plate 18 b are made of ametal such as aluminum. The first plate 18 a and the second plate 18 bare substantially cylindrical in shape, for example. The second plate 18b is arranged on the first plate 18 b. The second plate 18 b iselectrically connected to the first plate 18 a.

The electrostatic chuck 16 is arranged on the second plate 18 b. Theelectrostatic chuck 16 includes an insulating layer and a film electrodeplaced inside the insulating layer. To the film electrode of theelectrostatic chuck 16, a direct-current source 22 is electricallyconnected via a switch 23. The electrostatic chuck 16 generateselectrostatic force from the direct-current voltage of thedirect-current source 22. The electrostatic chuck 16 attracts and holdsthe workpiece W by the electrostatic force.

During the operation of the processing apparatus 10, a focus ring FR isplaced on and around the periphery of the second plate 18 b such thatthe focus ring FR surrounds the edges of the workpiece W and theelectrostatic chuck 16. The focus ring FR serves to improve theuniformity of the process. The focus ring FR is made of quartz, forexample.

In the second plate 18 b, a flow channel 24 is formed. To the flowchannel 24, a heat exchange medium such as a cooling medium is suppliedfrom a temperature adjuster (e.g., chiller unit) arranged outside thechamber 12 for temperature control. The temperature adjuster adjusts thetemperature of the heat exchange medium. The heat exchange medium issupplied from the temperature adjuster through a pipe 26 a to the flowchannel 24. The heat exchange medium supplied to the flow channel 24 viathe pipe 26 a from the temperature adjuster is made to return to thetemperature adjuster via a pipe 26 b. The heat exchange medium issupplied to the flow channel 24 in the stage 13 after the temperature ofthe heat exchange medium is adjusted by the temperature adjuster. Thus,the temperature of the stage 14, and therefore, the temperature of theworkpiece W can be adjusted.

The processing apparatus 10 further includes a gas supply line 28 whichextends through the stage 14 up to the upper surface of theelectrostatic chuck 16. To the space between the upper surface of theelectrostatic chuck 16 and the lower surface of the workpiece W, a heattransfer gas, such as He gas is supplied from a heat transfer gas supplymechanism via the gas supply line 28. Thus, the heat exchange betweenthe stage 14 and the workpiece W is facilitated.

A heater HT may be arranged inside the stage 14. The heater HT is aheating device. The heater HT is embedded inside the second plate 18 b,or the electrostatic chuck 16, for example. The heater HT is connectedto a heater power source HP. The heater power source HP supplieselectricity to the heater HT, so that the temperature of the stage 14,and hence, the temperature of the workpiece W is adjusted.

To the lower electrode 18 of the stage 14, a radio-frequency (RF) powersource 30 is connected via a matching device 32. A radio-frequencycurrent may be supplied from the RF power source 30 to the lowerelectrode 18. The RF power source 30 generates an RF current to drawions into the workpiece W mounted on the stage 14. In other words, theRF power source 30 generates a RF current to be used as a bias voltage.The frequency range of the RF current generated by the RF power source30 is, for example, within the range of 400 [kHz] to 40.68 [MHz]. In oneexample, the frequency is 13.56 [MHz].

The matching device 32 includes a circuit for matching the impedance ofthe output from the RF power source 30 and the impedance on a load side,i.e., on the side of the lower electrode 18. The processing apparatus 10can generate plasma simply by supplying the radio-frequency voltage tothe lower electrode 18 without using an additional source generating aradio-frequency current for plasma generation.

The processing apparatus 10 further includes a shield 34 detachablyattached to the inner wall of the chamber 12. The shield 34 is furtherarranged to an outer periphery of the support mechanism 13. The shield34 serves to prevent the by-product of the process from adhering to thechamber 12. The shield 34 may be an aluminum member coated with ceramicssuch as Y₂O₃.

An exhaust channel is formed between the stage 13 and the sidewall ofthe chamber 12. The exhaust channel is connected to an exhaust port 12 eformed in the bottom of the chamber 12. The exhaust port 12 e isconnected via a pipe 36 to an exhaust device 38. The exhaust device 38includes a pressure adjuster and a vacuum pump such as a turbomolecularpump (TMP). A baffle 40 is arranged in the middle of an exhaust path,i.e., between the stage 14 and the sidewall of the chamber 12. Thebaffle 40 has a plurality of penetration holes penetrating the baffle 40in a thickness direction. The baffle 40 may be an aluminum member whosesurface is coated with ceramics such as Y₂O₃.

In the upper side of the chamber 12, an opening is formed. The openingis closed by a window 42. The window 42 is made of a dielectric such asquartz. The window 42 is a flat plate, for example.

In the sidewall of the chamber 12, a gas inlet 12 i is formed. The gasinlet 12 i is connected to a gas supply unit 44 via a pipe 46. The gassupply unit 44 supplies various gases used for the process to the space12 c. The gas supply unit 44 includes a plurality of gas sources 44 a, aplurality of flow controllers 44 b, and a plurality of valves 44 c.Though not specifically illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of gas inletsmay be provided for each gas such that gases do not mix with each other.

The plurality of gas sources 44 a include sources of various gasesdescribed later. One gas source may provide more than one gas. Theplurality of flow controllers may be a mass flow controller (MFC), flowcontrollers realizing the control through pressure control. Each gassource included in the plurality of gas sources 44 a is connected to thegas inlet 12 i via a corresponding one of the plurality of flowcontrollers 44 b, and a corresponding one of the plurality of valves 44c. The position of the gas inlet 12 i is not particularly limited. Forexample, the gas inlet 12 i may be formed in the window 42 instead ofthe sidewall of the chamber 12.

In the sidewall of the chamber 12, an opening 12 p is formed. Theopening 12 p provides a path for the workpiece W imported from outsidethe chamber 12 to the space 12 c, and exported from inside the space 12c to the outside of the chamber 12. On the sidewall of the chamber 12, agate valve 48 is provided to allow the opening/closing of the opening 12p.

Above the chamber 12 and the window 42, an antenna 50 and a shield 60are provided. The antenna 50 and the shield 60 are arranged outside thechamber 12. In one embodiment, the antenna 50 includes an internalantenna element 52A and an external antenna element 52B. The internalantenna element 52A is a spiral coil arranged at the center of thewindow 42. The external antenna element 52B is a spiral coil arranged onthe window 42 and outside the internal antenna element 52A. Each of theinternal antenna element 52A and the external antenna elements 52B ismade of a conductive material such as copper, aluminum, and stainlesssteel.

The internal antenna element 52A and the external antenna element 52Bare clamped and held together by a plurality of clamps 54. Each of theplurality of clamps 54 has a rod-like shape. The plurality of clamps 54extend radially from approximately the center of the internal antennaelement 52A to the outside of the external antenna element 52B.

The shield 60 covers the antenna 50. The shield 60 includes an innershield wall 62A and an outer shield wall 62B. The inner shield wall 62Ais cylindrical in shape. The inner shield wall 62A is arranged betweenthe internal antenna element 52A and the external antenna element 52B soas to surround the internal antenna element 52A. The outer shield wall62B is cylindrical in shape. The outer shield wall 62B is arrangedoutside the external antenna element 52B so as to surround the externalantenna element 52B.

Above the internal antenna element 52A, a disk-like inner shield plate64A is arranged, so as to cover the opening of the inner shield wall62A. Above the external antenna element 52B, an external shield plate64B, which is a ring-like plate, is arranged, so as to cover the openingbetween the inner shield wall 62A and the outer shield wall 62B.

The shapes of the shield wall and the shield plate included in theshield 60 are not limited to the shape described above. For example, theshield wall of the shield 60 may be a square pillar.

The internal antenna element 52A and the external antenna element 52Bare connected to a radio-frequency (RF) power source 70A and aradio-frequency (RF) power source 70B, respectively. The internalantenna element 52A and the external antenna element 52B receive acurrent supply of the same or different frequency from the RF powersource 70A and the RF power source 70B, respectively. When the RF poweris supplied from the RF power source 70A to the internal antenna element52A, an inductive magnetic field is generated inside the space 12 c, toexcite the gas in the space 12 c and generate plasma above the center ofthe workpiece W. On the other hand, when the RF power is supplied fromthe RF power source 70B to the external antenna element 52B, aninductive magnetic field is generated in the space 12 c, to excite thegas in the space 12 c and generate ring-like plasma above the peripheryof the workpiece W.

The electrical length of each of the internal antenna element 52A andthe external antenna element 52B is adjusted according to the frequencyof the output from the RF power source 70A and the RF power source 70B.Hence, the positions of the inner shield plate 64A and the outer shieldplate 64B in Z-axis direction are adjusted independently by an actuator68A and an actuator 68B, respectively.

The processing apparatus 10 may further include a controller 80. Thecontroller 80 may be a computing device equipped with a processor,storage such as a memory, input device, and display, for example. Thecontroller 80 operates according to a control program and recipe datastored in the storage to control various elements of the processingapparatus 10. For example, the controller 80 controls: the plurality offlow controllers 44 b, the plurality of valves 44 c, the exhaust device38, the RF power source 70A, the RF power source 70B, the RF powersource 30, the matching device 32, and the heater power source HP. Thecontroller 80 may control various elements of the processing apparatus10 according to the control program and the recipe data whenimplementing the method according to one embodiment.

Exemplary Process Flow

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to oneembodiment. According to one embodiment, workpiece W, such as asemiconductor substrate is processed by the processing apparatus 10.

In operation 101, the substrate is prepared for the process according toone embodiment. In one embodiment, the substrate may be transferred intothe chamber 12, and mounted on and held by the electrostatic chuck 16.Further, a preparatory process may be performed on the substrate. Forexample, if the surface of the substrate does not have a uniformproperty, a process to make the surface of the substrate uniform may beperformed. The substrate to be processed may be made of silicon dioxide(SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN), or germanium (Ge). However, the substratemay contain other materials as far as it has a hydrophilic surface or asurface subjected to hydrophilic treatment. The substrate may havefeatures such as a via, trench or contact hole. The features of thesubstrate may be formed by etching. The substrate may be a Si substrate.In the etching, halogen gases such as HBr may be used. The etching maybe performed in the same chamber as the one where subsequent processes,i.e., a first process and a second process to be described later, takeplace. The etching may be performed in a different chamber.

Then, in operation 102, the controller 80 controls the processingapparatus 10 to perform the first process. The first process isperformed on the substrate to form a first film in a first regionthereon. In one embodiment, the first process is a chemical vapordeposition (CVD) process. The first process may be a plasma-enhancedCVD. However, the first process may be performed without the use ofplasma.

In the first process, a first gas is introduced into the chamber 12 viathe gas supply unit 44. The controller 80 controls the RF power source30 to supply an RF current to the lower electrode 18. The first gasturns into a plasma state and deposits on the surface of the substrateto form the first film thereon.

The first gas may include carbon. The first gas is, for example,fluoro-carbon gas, hydro-fluoro carbon gas, and hydro carbon gas. Forexample, CF₄, C₄F₆, C₄F₈, CH₂F₂, CHF₃, CH₄ and others may be usable.Films of plasma polymerized fluorocarbons (PPFC) are hydrophobic andsuitable as the first film of the embodiment. However, the first gas maybe any gas as far as it can form a hydrophobic film on the hydrophilicsurface of the substrate. In addition, it is desirable that thehydrophobic film formed by the first gas is removable by a secondprocess described later. In the first process, the first gas may containan inert gas such as a nitrogen (N₂) gas and an argon (Ar) gas as acarrier gas.

The first film may be formed in the first region of the substrate. Theposition of the first region may be determined based on the features ofthe substrate. The position of the first region may also be determinedbased on the type of the first process, i.e., whether it is ananisotropic CVD or an isotropic CVD. FIG. 3A is an exemplary diagram ofa substrate processed according to one embodiment. In FIG. 3A, asubstrate 200 has a trench 201. The size of the opening of the trench201 is approximately the same at the upper portion and the bottomportion. When an anisotropic CVD is performed on the substrate 200, thefirst film FF, such as CFx is deposited on regions 202, 203, 204 asillustrated in FIG. 3A; in other words, the first film, which isindicated as FF in FIGS. 3A and 4A, is formed in the top regions 202 and204, and in the bottom region 203, but not on the sidewall region 205.In the anisotropic CVD, the material is deposited mainly in onedirection. In an example of FIG. 3A, the CFx is deposited in a verticaldirection but not in a horizontal direction. Here, the verticaldirection indicates a direction perpendicular to the surface of thesubstrate 200, and the horizontal direction indicates a directionparallel to the surface of the substrate 200. Thus, the first film FF isnot formed on the sidewall region 205. However, the first film FF may bedeposited on the sidewall region 205 by an amount smaller than an amountdeposited on the top regions 202 and 204 and the bottom region 203. Inaddition, the first film FF may be thinner on the bottom region 203 thanon the top regions 202 and 204.

On the other hand, if the CVD is isotropic, the first film may be formedas illustrated in FIG. 4A. In FIG. 4A, the first film FF is formed onthe top regions 202 and 204 and the upper portion of the sidewall region205, however, not on the bottom region 203 and the lower portion of thesidewall region 205. The thickness of the first film FF is generallynon-uniform, and the first film FF bulges at the upper edge of thetrench 201. Thus, the position of the first region may vary depending onthe features of the substrate.

In operation 103, the controller 80 controls the processing apparatus 10to perform a second process. The second process is performed on thesubstrate to form a second film in a second region thereon. In oneembodiment, the second process may be an atomic layer deposition (ALD)process. In operation 103, more than one ALD process may be performedrepeatedly until the thickness of the second film SF reaches apredetermined level. Here, it is assumed that one ALD process forms oneatomic layer. It is desirable that more than one ALD process isperformed in the second process after each first process. When the firstfilm FF is completely or partially removed during the second process,the first process, i.e., operation 102, may be performed again. It maybe preferable to perform the first process again before the first filmFF is completely removed.

The ALD process includes an adsorption step and an activation step,i.e., a modification step. In the adsorption step, a precursor ofmaterial which adsorbed with the substrate 200 is introduced into thechamber 12. Then, in the activation step, plasma generated frommodifying gas is generated in the chamber 12 to modify the adsorbedlayer on the surface of the substrate so as to form the second film fromthe adsorbed precursor on the surface.

In one embodiment, the precursor is selected from a material which isadsorbed with the hydroxyl group. For example, the precursor is aSi-containing precursor, and the modifying gas may be anoxygen-containing gas such as O₂, CO, CO₂, NO, and NO₂.

In the first process, the first film is deposited on the first region ofthe substrate. Since the first film has a hydrophobic surface, theprecursor introduced in the second process does not adsorb in the firstregion. On the other hand, the precursor adsorbs with the substrate 200in regions other than the first region. In the subsequent modifyingstep, the adsorbed precursor is modified and forms the second film inthe regions other than the first region. The region other than the firstregion is referred to as the second region.

As illustrated in an example of FIG. 3B, when the second process isperformed on the substrate 200 of FIG. 3A, the second film, which isindicated as SF in FIGS. 3B and 4B, is formed on the sidewall region205. At the same time, the first film FF on the top regions 202 and 204,and the bottom region 203 are removed by the effect of plasma during thesecond process. Thus, the second film SF is formed only on the sidewallregion 205 of the substrate 200. When the first film FF remains on thetop regions 202 and 204, and the bottom region 203 after the secondprocess, another step may be performed to remove the first film FF. Forexample, the substrate may be exposed to an argon plasma or an oxygenplasma after the second process.

When the second process is performed on the substrate 201 as illustratedin FIG. 4A, the second film SF is formed on the bottom region 203 and onthe lower portion of the sidewall region 205 as illustrated in FIG. 4B.Thus, depending on the features of the substrate and the types of thefirst process, i.e., whether it is an anisotropic CVD or an isotropicCVD, the resulting shapes of the second film SF and the position thesecond film SF is formed can be changed. As illustrated in FIG. 3C, whenthe anisotropic CVD is employed in the first process, the first regionis the top regions 202 and 204 and the bottom region 203, while thesecond region is the sidewall region 205. In other words, when the firstprocess is the anisotropic CVD, the first region is a horizontal regionand the second region is a vertical region. Alternatively, when thefirst process is the anisotropic CVD, the first region is a surfaceextending in a first direction, and the second region is a surfaceextending in a second direction other than the first direction. Theangle between the first direction and the second direction may beapproximately 90 degrees. Alternatively, the first direction may be adirection perpendicular to a direction of deposition, and the seconddirection may be a direction parallel to the direction of deposition. Onthe other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, when the isotropic CVD isemployed in the first process, the first region is the top regions 202and 204 and the upper portion of the sidewall region 205, while thesecond region is the bottom region 203 and the lower portion of thesidewall region 205. In other words, when the first process is theisotropic CVD, the first region is a region closer to the top regionthan the second region, and the second region is a region closer to thebottom region than the first region. The first region is a region wherethe film is formed by the first process, and the second region is aregion where the film is formed by the second process. The first regionand the second region may overlap in part.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, after the operations 102 and 103, it isdetermined in operation 104 whether a predetermined condition has beenmet. The predetermined condition may be the number of the first and thesecond processes already performed on the same substrate, or thethickness of the second film deposited on the substrate. Alternatively,the predetermined condition may be the thickness of the first film FFremains on the surface of the substrate 200.

For example, the number of ALD processes performed in the second processmay be previously set in the control program stored in the storage. Thethickness of the second film formed by one second process may becalculated, and the number of ALD processes may be set such that thethickness of the second film reaches a desired level. Then, it isdetermined in operation 104 whether a predetermined number of secondprocesses have already been performed on the same substrate.

Alternatively, or in addition, it is determined in operation 104 whetherthe thickness of the first film remaining on the substrate reaches apredetermined level, e.g., zero. If the thickness of the second film hasnot reached a desirable level and the first film has been removedcompletely from the substrate, the operations 102 and 104 will beperformed again. Alternatively, another operation to determine whether apredetermined condition has been met may be added after operation 102 soas to determine if the thickness of the first film is at a desirablelevel.

The operation 104 may be performed by the controller 80 based on thecontrol program stored in the storage. When it is determined that thepredetermined condition has been met in operation 104, the process ends.On the other hand, when it is determined that the predeterminedcondition has not been met in operation 104, the process returns tooperation 102. In other words, the controller 80 repeats the operations102 and 103 until the predetermined condition is met. The controlprogram may be set such that only one of the operations 102 and 103 isperformed when it is determined in operation 104 that the predeterminedcondition has not been met.

In Situ Operation

Here, the operations 102 and 103 are performed without transferring thesubstrate out of the chamber 12. In other words, the first and secondprocesses are performed in situ, or without breaking the vacuum. Theapparatus according to one embodiment such as the processing apparatus10 has the gas supply unit 44 which allows the supply of various typesof gases into the chamber. In addition, the apparatus according to oneembodiment can perform the first and second processes without breakingthe vacuum in the chamber 12. In addition, the apparatus has an exhaustmechanism such as the exhaust channel, exhaust port 12 e, and theexhaust device 38, to perform the purge process to avoid mixing ofdifferent gases in the chamber 12. Thus, the apparatus of one embodimentcan perform operations 102 and 103 in situ, or without breaking thevacuum.

Power Control during First & Second Processes

In addition, in one embodiment, the apparatus may change the manner ofplasma generation for each process. For example, the controller 80 maycontrol the antenna 50 and the lower electrode 18 such that the voltageis applied only to the lower electrode 18 during the first process, andthe voltage is applied only to the antenna 50 during the second process.

When the controller 80 operates both the antenna 50 and the lowerelectrode 18 during the first process, the first gas may undergo anexcessive dissociation; then, the radicals of the first gas may damagethe substrate. Hence, during the first process, the controller 80 maycontrol the processing apparatus 10 such that the power is supplied tothe lower electrode 18 but not to the antenna 50. Alternatively, duringthe first process, the controller 80 may control the processingapparatus 10 such that the power is supplied to both the lower electrode18 and the antenna 50; in this case, the controller 80 suppresses thepower supplied to the antenna 50 to such a level that the substratewould not be damaged. On the other hand, during the second process, itis desirable that the second film of a high quality is formed. Hence,during the second process, it is desirable to generate plasma of a highelectron density and a low ion energy. Thus, during the second process,the controller 80 may control the processing apparatus 10 such that thepower is supplied to the antenna 50 but not to the lower electrode 18.Alternatively, during the second process, the controller 80 may controlthe processing apparatus 10 such that the power is supplied to both thelower electrode 18 and the antenna 50; in this case, the controller 80suppresses the power supplied to the lower electrode 18 to a low levelsuch that plasma of a low ion energy would be generated.

For example, the controller 80 may control each part of the processingapparatus 10 according to the time sequence as illustrated in FIG. 5. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, during the first process (CVD process), thecontroller 80 may control the gas supply unit 44 to supply the firstgas, i.e., CFx gas and argon gas to the chamber 12. At the same time,the controller 80 may control the RF power source 30 to supply power tothe lower electrode 18. During the first process, the controller 80 doesnot operate the antenna 50 (indicated as ICP-antenna in FIG. 5).

Then, after the first process, the adsorption step of the second processstarts. The controller 80 controls the gas supply unit 44 to supply theprecursor, such as Si-containing precursor (indicated as “Si-Precursor”in FIG. 5) into the chamber 12. During this period, the controller 80may cause the carrier gas such as argon gas to be supplied into thechamber 12. The controller 80 may controls the gas supply unit 44 suchthat a predetermined flow rate of the carrier gas is supplied to thechamber 12 throughout the processing of the substrate. The antenna 50and the lower electrode 18 are inoperative during this period. After theintroduction and adsorption of the Si-containing precursor, thecontroller 80 purges the chamber 12 so that the undesirable gaseoussubstances would not remain in the chamber 12.

Then, the controller 80 starts the activation step, i.e., themodification step, to modify the adsorbed precursor. In the activationstep, the controller 80 controls the gas supply unit 44 to supply themodifying gas such as oxygen into the chamber 12. At the same time, thecontroller 80 causes the RF power sources 70A and 70B to supply power tothe antenna 50. During this period, the controller 80 does not operatethe lower electrode 18. Thereafter the controller 80 undergoes a purgeprocess again. Note that the purge processes after the adsorption stepand the activation step may be omitted. Then, the controller 80 repeatsthe first and second process depending on whether the predeterminedcondition is met or not. Further, the controller 80 may repeat one ofthe first process and the second process independently.

Etching Process

In addition to the first and the second processes, another process maybe performed as a third process in situ in the apparatus according toone embodiment. For example, the apparatus according to one embodimentmay further perform an etching process to further process the substrate,whereby the throughput can be further improved. The etching process maybe an atomic layer etching (ALE) process.

The ALE process may include a modification step to form a reactivelayer, and a removal step to take off the modified reactive layer. TheALE process may include a purge step after each of the modification stepand the removal step. The modification step may be performed with Nplasma or H plasma. The removal step may be performed with halogenplasma (species) such as F.

According to one embodiment, the first, second, and third processes maybe repeated in this order. The number of times each process is repeatedmay differ from each other. For example, the second process may berepeated ten times after the first process is performed once.Alternatively, the order the first, second, third processes may bechanged.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims arenot to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying allmodifications and alternative constructions that may occur to oneskilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein setforth.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for processing a substrate, theapparatus comprising: a chamber; and a controller comprising a memoryand a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory storescomputer-executable instructions for controlling the processor toperform a process comprising: first forming, by chemical vapordeposition and by using a fluorocarbon plasma generated from a gascontaining carbon, a first film in a first region of the substrate in achamber of a processing apparatus, and second forming, by introducing aprecursor of material adsorbed with the substrate into the chamber,introducing modifying gas into the chamber, and generating plasma fromthe modifying gas, a second film in a second region of the substrate inthe chamber, wherein the first forming and the second forming areperformed without moving the substrate out of the chamber.
 2. Theapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an antennacontrolled by the controller, and a lower electrode arranged opposite tothe antenna and configured to hold the substrate thereon, the lowerelectrode being controlled by the controller, wherein the processfurther comprising: applying a voltage to the lower electrode during thechemical vapor deposition, and applying a voltage to the antenna in amodification step of the second forming step.
 3. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, further comprising: an antenna arranged above the chamberand controlled by the controller, and a lower electrode arrangedopposite to the antenna and configured to hold the substrate thereon,the lower electrode being controlled by the controller, wherein theprocess further comprising: applying a voltage to the lower electrodewithout applying a voltage to the antenna during the chemical vapordeposition; and applying a voltage to the antenna without applying avoltage to the lower electrode in a modification step of the secondforming step.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the firstforming forms the first film of hydrophobic surface on the first regionof a hydrophilic surface of the substrate, the second forming forms thesecond film by adsorbing, on the second region of the hydrophilicsurface of the substrate, the precursor, and the precursor reacts with ahydroxyl group.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thesecond forming removes at least a part of the first film from thesubstrate.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least oneof: the applying a voltage to the lower electrode during the chemicalvapor deposition comprises maintaining a voltage at such a level as toprevent damage to the substrate or to generate plasma of a low ionenergy, and the applying a voltage to the antenna in the modificationstep of the second forming step comprises maintaining a voltage at sucha level as to prevent damage to the substrate.
 7. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first forming performs one of ananisotropic CVD and an isotropic CVD by controlling a voltage applied tothe lower electrode.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thefirst forming forms the first film on a top region and a bottom regionof a feature of the substrate, and the second forming forms the secondfilm on a sidewall of the feature of the substrate.
 9. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the substrate contains at least one ofSiO2, SiN, Si and Ge, and the second forming forms a Si-containing filmas the second film.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thefirst forming and the second forming are performed repeatedly in thisorder.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processfurther comprising: ceasing the second forming before the second formingremoves the first film completely; and performing the first formingwhile the first film remains on the substrate.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first forming and the second formingare performed by using inductively-coupled plasmas orcapacitively-coupled plasmas.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the substrate has a hydrophilic surface or a surface subjectedto hydrophilic treatment.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the process further comprising: determining whether apredetermined condition has been met after the first forming and thesecond forming; and repeating a cycle including the first forming andthe second forming when the determining determines that thepredetermined condition has not been met.
 15. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the gas containing carbon is selected from the groupconsisting of fluoro-carbon gas, hydro-fluoro carbon gas, and hydrocarbon gas.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the firstregion of the substrate and the second region of the substrate do notsubstantially overlap.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe second forming step is conducted after the first forming step. 18.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second forming includesrepeating one or more cycles comprising the introducing a precursor, theintroducing modifying gas, and the generating plasma.
 19. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first film contains carbon.
 20. Anapparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: at leasta first and a second chamber; and a controller comprising a memory and aprocessor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory storescomputer-executable instructions for controlling the processor toperform a process comprising: first forming a first film in a firstregion of the substrate in the first chamber by chemical vapordeposition; second forming, by introducing a precursor of materialadsorbed with the substrate into the chamber, introducing modifying gasinto the chamber, and generating plasma from the modifying gas, a secondfilm in a second region of the substrate in the first chamber; andetching the substrate in the second chamber, wherein the first formingand the second forming are performed without moving the substrate out ofthe first chamber, and the first and second chambers are differentchambers.
 21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the firstforming deposits the first film by fluorocarbon plasmas, and the firstfilm contains carbon.
 22. The apparatus according to claim 20, whereinthe etching performs an atomic layer etching and includes: modifying asurface of the substrate by one of N plasma and H plasma, purging thechamber, and removing the surface modified by the one of N plasma andthe H plasma by halogen gas.
 23. An apparatus for processing asubstrate, the apparatus comprising: a chamber having at least one gasinlet and at least one gas outlet; a substrate support disposed in thechamber; a plasma generator configured to generate a plasma from a gasin the chamber; and a controller configured to cause: placing asubstrate on the substrate support, the substrate having a first regionand a second region; performing a first deposition process, comprising:introducing a first gas into the chamber, the first gas containing afluorocarbon gas; generating a first plasma from the first gas in thechamber; and exposing the first plasma to the substrate, therebydepositing a first film on the first region of the substrate, andperforming a second deposition process, comprising: introducing aprecursor into the chamber to adsorb the precursor to the substrate;generating a second plasma from a second gas in the chamber; andexposing the second plasma to the substrate, thereby depositing a secondfilm on the second region of the substrate.